Aleksa Palladino and Devon Church make dreamy rock music under the heading EXITMUSIC. The band’s impressive live shows have been garnering much-deserved attention for the Brooklynbased married couple; on stage, Aleksa commands attention as the band’s lead vocalist. She also alternates between playing guitar and keyboards. Devon stands tall as the primary guitarist, and shifts effortlessly between providing power chords, quick riffs or melody lines and even employs a violin bow on the strings at one point. The band will be headlining the Deli’s CMJ Dream Pop Stage at The Delancey on Tuesday 10.18, with Mahogany, ohnomoon and Spanish Prisoners – here’s the event’s Facebook page, and here the full list of Deli CMJ 2011 shows.

In an effort to help the folks occupying Wall Street, NYC punk group Low Fat Getting High put together a fund raiser single entitled "P.O.W.S. (Prisoners of Wall Street" in support of the cause, available for download on Bandcamp.com for $5. All proceeds will go towards buying food for the protestors in Zuccotti Park. Here’s what the band has to say about this: "A few of us dropping five bucks can at least send a couple pizzas their way. Let’s help some folks out who need a hand. A slice of pizza between imprisonment and pepper spray can really raise some spirits. Let’s go!" – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here). The Deli’s NYC Open Blog is powered by The Music Building and APS Mastering.

Big Troubles launched this new video today, which I believe was shot at least partially at the Prospect Park Zoo and nearby carousel, which The Deli staff regularly rides on Sunday afternoons. The song by the way is a testament to the fact that you don’t need to abuse of auto-tune to get a buzz in the blogs! The band is currently touring the entire US, they’ll be back in NYC on 11.23 with a show at The Bowery Ballroom.

Although it’s been out for purchase on their official website for a week already, Alberta Cross‘s newest, five-track release, “The Rolling Thunder EP,” is now officially out. After debuting a few teaser singles, "Money For the Weekend" and "Get Up, (not on the EP)," both featured on ads for Ketel One Vodka and Verizon’s Droid Bionic "Ring," and "Wait," the quintet delivered a beautifully crafted series of songs that blend signature howling vocals, mysterious echoing effects, bluesly, bassy sultriness, rocking slide guitar, and the touching elements of folk. The EP opens with the fiery "Money For the Weekend," and follows with the seductive "Ramblin’ Home," eerie "Wait," (streaming below) bossanova-rock-infused "Driving With Myself," and finishes with the poignant, piano-driven title track. You can check out Alberta Cross on tour with Portugal.The Man over the next couple of months. They’ll be in New York on October 20 at Terminal 5. –Meijin Bruttomesso

If the band’s penchant for bright costumes doesn’t draw you in, Superhuman Happiness’s peculiar yet enchanting genre fusion will. The band’s mastermind Stuart Bogie’s roots in Antibalas are evident as he leads the group into a an ever-changing musical adventure through funk, afrobeat, pop, folk, jazz and rock. This dabbling in various genres may have to do with the impressive laundry list of artists Bogie has worked with including TV on the Radio and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. – Read Nancy Chow’s interview with the band here.

At times the jaded lover you might remember hearing in PJ Harvey’s music, at other times claiming Patti Smith’s righteous indignation, Alison Clancy’s music project Huff This! is a rare combination: a strong voice with a light touch. Backed for the most part by a solo piano, Clancy’s modest intensity makes a band feel completely unnecessary. On tracks like "Seahorse," I keep forgetting I’m only listening to a piano most of the time, as her work frequently sounds large and orchestral. There’s a serious weight to this deceivingly laid-back music that can take multiple listens to really settle in, but your time will be aptly rewarded. – Read Mike Levine interview with Alison Cnancy here.

Sporting t-shirts and jeans and short haircuts, it might be easy to confuse We Barbarians with New Order- era Euro arena rock, but they are indeed Long Beach, NY natives. Living in Brooklyn now, they’ve been hard at it. In the past five years, they’ve released four records and have opened for big indie bands from Ra Ra Riot to Tokyo Police Club. Their latest self- released EP Headspace contains a much more direct and close-mic’ed sound than their previous EP’s, which were much more dronier and awash in reverb by comparison.
Standout “Chambray” yields that classic righteous warrior sound we’ve been hearing from bands like U2 for years now, but David has the voice capable of delivering a range to easily rival Bono’s, and the three-piece locks it in for anyone missing singers like Jeff Buckley singing to the rafters.
Arguably, the standout is their cover of David Byrne’s “Strange Overtones”. We Barbarians’ treatment of this classic marries Byrne’s world music dance vibe to Quon’s penchant for anthems. It’s a unique idea, and I give them credit for owning up to the challenge.
After so many EP’s released in such short succession, I can only imagine a full-length is on the docket. But right now the band is getting ready for a tour, so I’m hoping they announce new dates soon! – Mike Levine (@goldnuggets)

Lotte Kestner has the quiet, understated intensity made possible by her bare bones production.  She is reminiscent of Seattle’s Tiny Vipers, but even more closely related to the likes of Grouper with her wonderfully thin, beautiful, reverb kissed vocals.  Her compositions in general, at the heart of them, are melancholy folk meditations.  Rather than evoking woodsy, finger-picked platitudes, they manifest feelings of dissolution and isolation.

China Mountain, Kestner’s last release in 2009 named after a mountain range in southern Oregon, was recorded over a year in her basement bedroom, and mixed with Trespassers bandmate Matt Brown.  Recently, on September 27th, Kestner released a cover of The National’s "Conversation 16", which with her stripped down means, lays bare the effectiveness of the vocal pattern and lyrics, acting as a kind of distillation showcasing what makes the song function in its essence.